1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to liquid mixing and dispensing systems, and are concerned in particular with packaged systems that may be portable and/or disposable.
2. Description of Related Art
In a known liquid mixing and dispensing system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,451,895, flexible bags containing liquid concentrates are enclosed in a container closed by a cap. A manifold in the cap has metered inlet orifices communicating with the flexible bags and with the container interior. Pressurized liquid, e.g. a water diluent, is admitted into the container. The water collapses the bags causing the liquid concentrates to be ejected into the manifold. Water enters the manifold from the container and combines with the liquid concentrates to provide a liquid mixture delivered from a manifold outlet.
When mixing and dispensing liquid components of a beverage, and because the water diluent enters the manifold from the container, the entire container interior must first be sterilized and then kept free of contaminants during assembly of the system components. Sterilization contributes disadvantageously to the overall cost of the system, and contaminant free assembly is difficult to achieve reliably.